Friday, June 19, 2009

Pet Peeves: TTC

To pick up on Alison’s lead, I thought I might vent on one (several) of my pet peeves:

The TTC and how we use it.

Some of my complaints include:

1. Morons who stop as soon as they enter the subway car. If there are people behind you, you’re blocking the way and making it harder to get on before the door closes. I know you may be getting off at the next stop but - don’t worry – you’ll be able to get off even if you move into the train. Right now you're just being rude.

2. Morons who use stairs at busy stations when there’s an escalator right next to it. If you are at a busy station like Bloor or King and you are going up, say, and there’s an up escalator next to a set of stairs, you’re not being lazy if you use the escalator; you’re being considerate. If you use the stairs despite the escalator going your way then you’re just going to create traffic issues for the people coming DOWN who have no choice but to use the stairs. Use your head and take the escalator.

3. Morons who are paranoid about being able to get off at their stop. Whether you’re taking the bus or subway, there’ll be lots of time for you to get off once the vehicle stops. Pushing your way to the doors while the vehicle's in motion just creates the possibility you’ll lose your balance or knock someone over. Keep calm – you’ll get off. I’ve only seen one person miss their stop because they couldn’t get to the door in time and that was at Rosedale at rush hour in a packed car. But who gets off at Rosedale?

4. A$$hole jerks who rush to take seats ahead of women, children and the elderly. Give me a break. I give these guys the death stare and will occasionally confront them if it’s particularly egregious. Is this a cultural thing? Are these people from patriarchal societies or somehow raised not to respect others? This is perhaps the worst offense in my mind. I’ve simply gotten used to not sitting if the car is busy. Even if there is the odd seat available, it’s quite likely a lady will step on at the next stop or two, so I just keep standing.

5. Clueless morons who talk on their cell phones on the TTC. If you get a call, make it quick and speak quietly. Just because you’re having a hard time hearing the other person because of the ambient noise around you does not mean they can’t hear you perfectly fine if you speak softly.

6. Oblivious morons who walk while using cell phones. This applies anywhere. People tend to walk with cell phones the way they drive with cell phones: not well. They get distracted, slow down, don’t watch the flow of traffic and just become a nuisance. If you need to use your phone, move off to the side and let others continue on their way.

7. Distracted TTC drivers. I’ve seen drivers use cell phones, talk to attractive passengers and even do Sudoku puzzles while operating the vehicle. This is beyond silly and dangerous. If you see this, tell the driver off. You have my blessing.

8. Inconsiderate morons who use inadequate headphones while listening to their crappy music. Ear buds are not headphones. They are for use while you’re jogging outside, not while commuting between Eglinton and Bloor. You might as well take out the buds and crank the speakers ‘cause we can all hear the music anyways – you might as well let us hear it at full quality. Jerks.

9. Litterbugs. Seriously; throw your crap in the garbage/recycling. What are you – five?

10. TTC drivers who pump the brakes. Someone needs to train TTC drivers to drive as if people are standing inside their vehicles ‘cause – guess what – they ARE!!! Stop driving like “gas” and “brake” are your only two options and you must alternate between them as often as possible.

11. Streetcars. ‘Nuff said.

12. Space wasters. Look, chimps can put building blocks together. Why can’t we stand inside TTC cars in such a way as to maximize space and capacity? I see people sitting and standing at the oddest angles and worst positions, preventing people from getting on at rush hour. Move your ass into the train and stand shoulder to shoulder. How hard is that? You’ll be helping others get to their destination and helping to ensure our position at the top of the food chain.

13. Lack of communication. In New York City, if the train is delayed for 10 seconds (no exaggeration) an announcement is made apprising passengers IN THE CAR of the situation. In Toronto, not only are announcements rarely made, they are often only heard on the station platforms and not in the car. The people in the cars need to know, too, so that they can get off at the next station and walk if the delay is severe enough. Besides, even if they can’t get off, having some information will keep them calmer than if they’re left in the dark.

14. Drivers who don’t know how to stop. The bus posts are there for a reason. They tell the driver where to stop. If they don’t stop in the right place, the back door (where you’re SUPPOSED to get off) may open to a trash bin or bus shelter, thus preventing people from getting off. This can especially be a pain if you have a suitcase with you. Happened to me? You bet.

15. Paranoid morons who insist on going out via the front door of the bus. Not only is this inconsiderate towards the people trying to get on, but it defies the sign at the front of the bus telling you to please exit via the rear doors. I’ve seen people literally push their way to the front from their seat at the back of the bus just so that they can use the front door. Why are these people afraid of the back door? Were they traumatized by a back door as a child? Speaking of back doors, guys, think of the bus as your body – front for in, back for out. It’s meant to be one-way traffic; like your @$$hole, @$$hole.

I’m sure I have more complaints…but I hate complainers – they’re one of my pet peeves.

4 comments:

Alison Jutzi said...

"Who gets off at Rosedale?" is my favourite.

Whew, you sure are angry. I'm glad I'm not the TTC.

;)

PS said...

I forgot one of the most annoying ones - people who don't remove their backpacks on TTC vehicles. They either don't care or are oblivious to the fact that their backpack is taking up the space of another person and, worse, is smacking into other passengers.

Grrrrrrr.....

Hulk SMASH!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

As someone who travels on the TTC from far enough away to have witnessed pretty much all your peeves, imagine my glee when I saw your post :P ...

But there are only a few I have a difference of opinion about:

(2) I've been in busy stations during rush hour, when there's a GLUT of people trying to push their way onto the escalator. And it takes FOREVER.

So I become one the morons who use the stairs.

I do it because

(a) it's sometimes faster and

(b) you'd be SURPRISED at how many people can't grasp the two basic concepts of escalator etiquette, those being:

(i) WALK LEFT.
(ii) STAND RIGHT.

When using the stairs, I try to stick to the right - much like driving - whenever possible. If I can't - which is a lot of the time - I can't. But I try to watch out for people trying to make their way down and try to make room.

(11) Streetcars? Really? I almost want to ask why, but maybe I won't.

(15) I think I've only done this a couple of times, but only when the bus is relatively empty. But I have my own code of conduct for when I exit out the front door.

PS said...

Yup, the walk left stand right thing is definitely a concept too difficult for some to grasp.

I have no doubt the stairs are faster. Might I recommend that if you wish to use the stairs that you go to the exit that has the escalator going the opposite direction that you wish to go. So, at Bloor say, go up where the escalators go down and vice versa. This way you are respecting the escalator direction and you can cuss out the jerks using the stairs.

I know there's a backlog at the esclators at rush hour - usually because folks are too lazy to use the stairs (wherever they are). But if there are folks coming the other way, there's a backlog on the stairs, too, to a point, which is made way worse whenever one "lane" is shut down due to people coming the opposite direction. At Bloor, I often avoid the escalator going my way and walk the extra distance to the stairs next to the escalator going the other way because the stairs are indeed faster. Unless there are jerks. :P At King (south end), though, I go out of my way to use the escalator - which those taking the stairs next to me probably think is lazy - in order to leave room on the stairs for those coming the other way who HAVE to use the stairs.